Ho Chi Minh City…Day 2 and 3…
Day one was very interesting… I have to say the heat really takes it out of me. It is not fun walking around in the afternoon when it is 92 degrees…
On a different note, did you know Vietnam one of the biggest exporter of coffee?? I had no idea until I got here and noticed all the cafes and coffee places all over the place. In fact so far I have been consuming Vietnamese coffee which is a bit different than your regular brew. I don’t like the Vietnamese coffee I usually see in the US- with condensed milk. I like my coffee without sugar, so I was a bit skeptical ordering one here… it was served black with milk on the side. The coffee naturally tastes sweet and nutty. I usually don’t drink black coffee, but this one I easily could enjoy without any dairy…
Anyway, day 2 began with a terrible headache… My guess it was due to the excess heat and not enough water. I usually drink plenty of water but during vacation I cut back as I don’t want to be looking for a bathroom every hour…
I nursed the ache with some medicine, water and coffee and got ready to battle the heat. It was still early so the it didn’t feel so bad. We stopped at a restaurant called My Banh Mi Bistro that had yummy banh mi sandwiches- which are essentially, a delicious baguette with pate and pickled vegetables and a choice of your sauce- it was delicious, especially with a cup of cappuccino- a perfect breakfast!!!
After a very satisfying meal, we walked over to the Pham Ngu Lao area which is also known as the backpacker area, with lots of cheap hotels, shops and trendy restaurants. We made our way there and sat down at a cafe to take respite from the heat and enjoyed a glass of delicious iced coffee and people watched. Everywhere I looked, people were either selling food on the streets or they were sitting on small chairs on the road side and eating- this is a street food mecca!! We decided to enjoy a 45 minutes foot massage before venturing out to lunch…. which was in a small alley, in a very down to earth restaurant and ate some delicious pho- which is a bowl with rice noodles, beef or chicken, fresh herbs and a squeeze of lime- it was yummy! I of course washed it down with a glass of passion fruit juice! Did I mention, it was my second one that morning?? Well, yes, it is served everywhere, even on the streets.
After a yummy lunch, we headed back to our hotel but stopped at an ice cream place called Ikem where they churn ice cream with fresh fruit in liquid nitrogen- we had an orange marmalade and honey ice cream- it was delicious!
We headed back to the hotel to rest and plan dinner. My daughter was interested in a pizza place that was very highly rated on Trip Advisor- that was my fault… I shouldn’t have told her…so she got it in her mind it’s a great place for dinner. I really didn’t want to go to an Italian place in Vietnam- especially since we get fantastic Italian restaurant in NJ and I visit Italy very often… but she was adamant, so after a few drinks in the hotel bar, we headed out for dinner at Pizza 4 P’s which at first sight I could tell was a very trendy restaurant. I was adamant to eat an Asian style pizza and found a calamari and seaweed variety and I was satisfied. I ordered a glass of sparkling wine and waited for the strangely topped pizza.
They then brought a big bottle of chili oil and I was happy! I have to say, the pizza was pretty good- especially with the oil! Overall it was very good and I guess I was okay going to a pizza place in Vietnam!!
So, tomorrow we fly to Hanoi for a few days so we have a few more Vietnamese meals in our future.
The next morning we woke up early eager to go back to the banh mi shop for another sandwich for breakfast. We got there right at 7 am and ordered two sandwiches to go and two cappuccinos to stay. We were informed the sandwiches were not possible as they did not get the baguette delivery as yet! What? ? I was very disappointed…drank the coffee and left. Luckily we found delicious chicken noodle soup at the airport, filled with yummy pieces of chicken, cellophane noodles, green onions, sprouts, chillies, etc! What a great breakfast! We were now ready to leave for Hanoi!
What was my impression of HCMC- well, I ate well, my senses were asaulted with the traffic, noise, smells, etc, but in a good way. I didn’t enjoy the heat so much but I think overall it was a good experience. I love any culture that is into food and loves to smile! So, I am sold… lets see what Hanoi has to offer…
